- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Switch)
- Joe and Mac 2 (SNES via Switch Online)
- Stardew Valley (Switch) - New
- Cosmic Star Heroine (Switch) - New
- Grandia HD (Switch)
- Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Switch)
- Kotodama (Switch)
- A Robot Named FightI (Switch)
- Defenders of Oasis (Game Gear via 3DS Virtual Console)
I have been remiss. I beat this game a couple months ago. A Robot Named Fight! is a procedural Metroid-like. In fact, it apes Metroid quite closely. The way your character moves, shoots, aims, crouches... this game wants to feel like Metroid. But it doesn't want to BE Metroid. It wants to be its own thing, which is good. You are one of a long series of robot warriors fighting against the Megabeast and its army of meat. You collect scrap to buy weapons and upgrades, and as you open up new areas and upgrade your abilities and kill enemies you unlock new enemies and areas that show up in future playthroughs. Levels are procedurally generated so while you'll see some common room layouts, the way they connect, the enemies they contain, and the powerups hidden in them will change. The game does a good job mixing things up because the procedural algorithm ensures you have access to the right kind of weapon to open a particular type or door, or a mobility item to navigate a particular gap. I've only gotten stuck once and that was because of a bug involving projectile persistence between rooms. There are multiple items of each different movement or damage type, so you'll surmount the same type of challenges in different ways on subsequent playthroughs. It also means that though you'll see many powerups again and again, you'll likely encounter them in different combinations, leading to varied mechanical experiences. And because of the unlocking mechanism, the more you play the more new stuff is added to the game.
The game isn't perfect. Some powerup combinations just aren't as powerful, and sometimes you can just get a bad hand. There are also a couple bosses that are significantly harder than their counterparts for certain areas, and a bad matchup can kill a run. But it's so easy to start a new game, and once you're comfortable and have a decent amount of possible content unlocked, a full run can end up taking only a couple hours. The music and atmosphere is WEIRD and dark and awesome, and there are even shrines to robot gods where you can pay homage (pay attention to hints as to numbers if you want the best bonuses). There's also multiple endings that require repeat playthroughs.
One interesting thing is that the game's creator releases periodic updates. I came to the game a bit later, so most of the content was already released, but after beating the game several times another update was released which, among other things, actually overhauled a lot of the environment graphics. This was several years after the game's original release on Steam. Now is the time to get in, because while there may be more coming, this is already a very full package of content, and the Switch version has done a good job keeping up. My only gripe is that a particular mix of powerups can affect the game's performance a bit, when you are capable of filling the screen with glowing, multi-effect projectiles in ridiculous numbers.
Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the feel of Metroid or Super Metroid and isn't opposed to the procedural, repeat-play model of many rogue-lites. (Oh, you can also access the previous 5 or 10 game seeds and re-use them if you want to try to replay a particular arrangement.)
Defenders of Oasis - Game Gear via 3DS Virtual Console
Defenders of Oasis is in a lot of ways a standard 8-bit RPG. Coming out in 1992 probably didn't do it any favors, but as it was on the Game Gear it was competing more directly with Gameboy titles and not console titles. You are the prince of a nation during a time when the ancient evil wizard Ahriman is being revived. Shenanigans ensue, your father is killed, and you are left on your own, with only a Genie to help you. You eventually gain 2 more allies to fight at your side.
DoO explores some neat ideas, even as the basics of combat are relatively simple. Only the Genie can use magic, for example. Also, turn order is not like any other RPG I have played. When you act is based on your character's speed. But nobody is actually guaranteed a turn. If one character has very high speed and another very low speed, the character with high speed may actually get 2 or 3 turns and the character with low speed only 1. I made the mistake of not using any of the rare speed-boosting items on my Genie, meaning I was always in a tight spot for magic since he would sometimes just miss his turn. Some battles with enemies you'll get lots of turns to attack and they won't be able to do anything. Other times you'll really have to be in the mix with an enemy attacking back for everyone one of your own. The poison mechanic is also interesting. Poison doesn't drain your life in this game. Poison slowly gets worse over time, and as you take you're turn you'll be informed whether you are somewhat or very affected by the poison. Repeated poison attacks from enemies can accelerate the intensity of poison. And when poison gets strong enough, you simply die (you always return with 1 HP after the battle). There's a poison weapon in the game that lets you do this to enemies, too. It's not very powerful, but it was useful for a time against enemies with massive defense. Just poison them and defend until they die outright. It also means you don't have to cure poison right away, because really, you'll just get poisoned again. You can hold off until you're nearing dying (assuming someone gets a turn before your character faints).
There are healing and curing items, but mostly you'll want to lean on the Genie and his limited pool of MP. Later in the game you can find a spell that allows the Genie to retreat to his lamp and restore some MP. This helps you withstand extended forays away from town. And while your characters can all gain levels, the Genie cannot. The Genie is improved instead through found and purchased items. You basically add decoration to his lamp, which increases his HP, MP, and Defense. The Genie also can use spells that teleport you around, a necessity since there is no big world map. You must find the Genie's spells on stone tablets. It's possible to miss valuable spells and even get stuck until you find an essential one required for progress.
Your fighting characters each have a single distinguishing characteristic. The prince can use the best equipment and is the hardest hitter, the sailor can Dance and attack all enemies for reduced damage, and the thief can hide to evade attacks and spring from cover for extra damage. As a result, combat is a pretty simple affair. Most of your characters can just attack, special ability, use an item or defend. The Genie is a bit more delicate and is largely useless as a fighter, but the spells make it imperative to keep him alive (including returning to the lamp), since he does everything else.
The story is interesting enough, though it feels a bit abrupt in places. This RPG straddles a really odd line. For an RPG released in 1992 it feels awfully basic, but it does look good and sound good (for the Game Gear, anyway). And the interesting mechanics save it from being too draggy, though by the end game you'll probably need to take some breaks like I did. The final stretch of the game is a REALLY long combat section with some puzzle mazes that may have you pulling your hair out. It's a good thing the 3DS Virtual Console allows you to save the game state. Trying to play this game back in the day by saving when you rest would mean something like a 4-5 hour end-game run with no save points (I think, it's not clear when the game actually saves). The other complains is the lack of quality of life features. You have to go through the menus to see what your stats are. The game doesn't tell you what equipment you can use until you try to equip it. The game doesn't tell you how equipment will change your stats until you equip it. It means buying new gear in the shop can be a crap shoot. You'll want an FAQ or guide for this.
On the whole, this is a serviceable RPG that Game Gear fans were probably desperate for. I cannot recommend playing it on an original Game Gear, however. Play it emulated or on 3DS Virtual Console so you can save your state and put it down to take breaks. I hesitantly recommend this game for folks who like older RPGs, done mind a bit of grinding, and would like to see some unique mechanics.
